THE VIKING WAY (Part 1)

DAY TWO 
 Waddington to Byards Leap
(13.4 miles)

The Viking Way is really quite a pleasant surprise !  Nothing spectacular, but good walking with nice views and several quaint villages.

After a hearty breakfast (full english) we wandered back through the village to the Olde Village Store to pick up some provisions.   We knew that there would likely be a dearth of shops and pubs for the next day-or-so, and we would not be getting a proper dinner tonight at Byards Leap. 

The walking was varied early on as we walked along clearly defined footpaths beside gorgeous hedgerows and fields of crops, passing through lovely little villages.  At Coleby we were met by lots of 'Lions' in flourescent jackets, bunting in the streets, and our route was blocked by straw bales lining the road.  Apparently we had blundered upon the practice session for the Coleby Downhill Challenge.  WE didn't actually see any racers, but the chippings on the road surface looked lethal for anyone who came a cropper!

We stopped for lunch at the Red Lion in Wellingore - a nice pub being renovated by a local chap in order to avoid it being turned into yet another housing development in his village.  Lots of good work had been done already to renovate what must have been a quite dilapidated old place, and the landlord told us he is hoping to start B&B there very soon.   The burgers we had (one chicken, one veggie) were very tasty and the chips were really special.

After lunch the sun came out for the first time since we first arrived in Lincoln and we strode out, due south, along Ermine Street - initially along a quite road then continuing as a wide, green lane.  We took a diversion to see the Knights Templar preceptory tower at Temple Bruer, then returned to Ermine Street for the last long, straight trek to Byards Leap.   This second stretch seemed to be a bit of a hot-spot for local 'off-roaders' - both motorcycles and quad bikes - so not such a peaceful end to the day, but they were very considerate of a couple of old farts ambling along, so didn't detract too much from a great day's walking.

The room at Byards Leap Lodge was very comfortable - a considerably bigger room than Carnforth - but, as expected, there was nowhere nearby to get an evening meal.   No worries - we had pot noodles, sandwiches, a special chocolate treat ... and an England match to watch ...